


Metronome

by Vex_ation



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Drabbles, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 13,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation
Summary: I have a lot of drabbles that are too short to be oneshots but don't have enough material to extend into anything longer. This is their dumping ground. All these drabbles are G-rated: anything that is above G can be found in Memento.-Taking requests!
Relationships: Crystal/Yellow (Pokemon), Lutia | Lisia/Odamaki Sapphire | Sapphire Birch, Platinum Berlitz/Diamond/Pearl, Red/Yellow (Pokemon), will be updated as they appear
Comments: 24
Kudos: 23
Collections: Drabble Fics





	1. Ringing (Pearl)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, being caught in a large explosion has lasting consequences

Ever since the bomb exploded, Pearl’s ears wouldn’t stop ringing. It was if the blast tore through his skull, making his brain buzz and his ears ring as though not able to make sense of the scrambled sounds. He felt himself hit the ground, but didn’t hear any crack or thump or even the familiar sound of Magikarp flopping around in the dry lake. Just... nothing. Nothing but ringing.  
Pearl woke up the next day in a bed that wasn’t his. The covers were too scratchy, the pillow too soft, the mattress too squishy. And so Pearl jolted awake. The bedsheets didn’t swish when he sat up, but at least the ringing was gone. Seeing the first rays of sunrise stream into the window, he got up and went to ask where he was and what he was doing here. He crept quietly, not making a sound. The door didn’t creak, and he didn’t notice Crasher Wake approach him from behind until the gym leader clamped a hand on his shoulder. Pearl whirled around as he spoke, and though he could see how Wake’s lips moved... no sound came out.  
“What?” Pearl asked. “I can’t hear you.”  
Crasher Wake looked a bit startled and concerned as he looked at Pearl. But Pearl felt even more confused, because he didn’t hear himself speak either. Crasher Wake slowly repeated himself, speaking louder— or so Pearl assumed; he couldn’t actually hear a word. Trying to read his lips, Pearl struggled to find a noise among the silence.  
Panic rapidly rising, he realized it wasn’t just Crasher Wake. The bedsheets, the door, his footsteps, his own voice. He couldn’t hear the crickets or the wind or anyone speaking to him. He couldn’t hear anything. And as Crasher Wake looked at him with pity, he realized he never would.


	2. Go Fish (Crystal+Yellow)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some lesbians go fishing and... talk about their feelings if you catch my drift

”Catch.... and release?” Crystal questioned.  
“Mmhm,” Yellow nodded. “That’s the gist of it.”  
She shifted her weight, keeping the pole steady in front of her. The pokeball bobbed peacefully on top of the water. Crystal did not like this waiting game.  
“Just relax,” Yellow instructed, “You’re too tense. The fish can feel it.”  
Crystal looked at her skeptically, but Yellow nodded with the confidence of a veteran. Leaning back against a rock, she let the brim of her hat slip down and shade her face. A lazy smile made her cheeks flush as she closed her eyes, letting her other senses tell her when and where the fish were biting.  
Crystal adjusted her own grip on her pole, trying to mimic her movements. The rocks were cool despite the midmorning sun, but Crystal didn’t have a hat, so the golden lights shone over her eyes and made her blink as she looked up at the cloudless sky. Every movement in the brush caught her eye, and she looked to see if maybe, somewhere, there was a rare Pokémon hiding away, just out of reach.  
“You’re not relaxing,” Yellow said. Crystal glanced over; Yellow wasn’t even looking at her. She let her shoulders drop and sighed.  
“I’m not very good at fishing,” she said.  
“You’re not very good at _relaxing_ ,” Yellow corrected. She stood up, flicking her pole out of the water and laying it on the grass.  
“You know what?” she said, “C’mere.”  
Crystal dutifully followed, placing her pole next to Yellow and following the Healer as she laid down on the grass. Yellow took Crystal’s hand and placed it on her chest. Crystal tensed, but Yellow only tutted at her and uncurled her fingers. Crystal could feel Yellow’s heartbeat thudding slowly against her chest.  
“Focus on that.”  
Taking a deep breath, Crystal tried. The chatter of forest creatures faded away, as did the feeling of the cool grass and the gentle breeze. She could only feel the gentle rhythm. Yellow took soft, long breaths, which puffed against Crystal’s face and smelled like honeysuckles. Her voice wafted her to her ears like birdsong, and Crystal couldn’t help but snuggle closer. She felt the tension in her body evaporate as her forehead pressed into Yellow’s shoulder.  
“Relaxed now?” Yellow asked.  
“Mm,” Crystal responded.


	3. Amnesia (Ruby+Sapphire)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if he actually got amnesia?

”Ruby!”  
Sapphire’s voice was hoarser than she imagined it would be, raw from emotion and all the smoke she had probably breathed in by now.  
She watched his eyes flutter open. Her eyes caught the curve of his jaw, his long lashes, and the funny way his hair fell because of his scar. She stared at his lips, at the color rushing into his cheeks, at his eyes.  
His eyes.  
They were crimson, dark like blood, with oceans of depth beneath the gleaming flecks of gold and white in his irises. She stared into them, but they were so far away.  
“Ruby,” she said again, breathless this time. Tears sprang up in her eyes despite her best efforts, and she reached out to cup his face. Seeing her so close, Ruby suddenly yelped and shoved her away, hugging himself.  
“You...” he began, then trailed off. She could see the way his eyes darted back and forth, looking at the destruction around them, at the dying flames, at... her. He didn’t understand. He didn’t know. No.  
He didn’t remember.  
“Ruby?” she questioned. He hesitantly pointed at himself, as though waiting for confirmation.  
“... Yes?”  
“You don’t remember anything, do you Ruby?”  
He seemed surprised at her intuitiveness.  
“I... yes. I mean, no, no I don’t remember anything. But if I’m Ruby...” His hand peeled away from his chest and Sapphire’s heart sank as he shakily pointed a finger at her. “Who are you?”


	4. You're not pizza... (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold ordered pizza but got a beat-up boyfriend instead
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Blood, mentions of violence

Gold opened the door expecting a pizza. There was a man at his door, but he had no pizza. Instead he had a pair of pitiful silver eyes and a mop of crimson hair that stuck like straw to his bloody scalp. He was shivering in the cold, his fleece riddled with dark stains. Gold stared out at his front porch and blinked in surprise. He had never seen his rival so... scared.  
“Silver?” he asked tentatively. Silver stared back with dazed eyes, looking drunk or drugged or... he didn’t know. And seeing the wounds and the fear and the rumpled state of his clothes, he didn’t particularly want to. Silver stumbled forward, swaying slightly as though about to pass out. Gold held his arms out, beckoning Silver inside as the redhead mumbled “I didn’t know where else to go,” before pitching forward into Gold’s arms.  
Gold didn’t know what to do, he was holding an unconscious teenager in his arms that was bleeding all over his mom’s entry rug. Propping Silver up against the wall, he quickly shut the door to keep out the cold and covered every surface with towels, quickly hoisting Silver on the now-protected couch. Silver made a strange noise, somewhere between a whine and a sob, and squeezed his eyes shut.  
“You’re safe now,” Gold said a little nervously. He reached out, his fingertips nearly brushing Silver’s chin as he grabbed the zipper and unzipped his fleece. Seeing the state of his chest, Gold grimaced. He wasn’t going to have a fun night.


	5. I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up (Red+Yellow)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red comes to the realization that he needs a lot more help than he thought

”Red!” Yellow called. “Red-sa—“ No. he told her not to call him that. It was too formal, since they were friends now after all. That’s why she came to visit him in the first place, wasn’t it? They were... friends. That made her happier than it probably should have, and as she shelved the warm fuzzies away and knocked on the door, she began to wonder why Red wasn’t answering.  
“Red!” she called again. It had been five minutes since she first got to his door, and he still wasn’t answering. Her brain concocted an increasingly desperate list of scenarios. Was he asleep? Showering? Dead? Held hostage by Giovanni? Abducted by Deoxys?! Each idea sounded worst than the last until finally, overcome with that same silly ten-year-old desire to be his knight in shining armor, she forced herself inside.  
The kitchen and living room were empty— the TV was still on and a sandwich was half eaten on the counter, a fly or two buzzing around it. It looked like he had left in a hurry. Panicking, Yellow ran upstairs. And there, in Red’s room, was Red.  
He was on the floor, just laying there with bruises on his elbows and forehead.  
“R- RED-SAN!” Yellow shouted, rushing over to try and wake him. He groaned, trying to shove her away, but there wasn’t an ounce of force in his movements.  
“You don’t have to call me that,” he laughed as she hoisted him (messily) to his feet. He buckled under his own weight instantly, wincing and apologizing profusely as he fell onto Yellow and bowled them both over.  
“What happened?” Yellow prompted when she finally lugged Red onto his bed.  
“I fell,” he said simply. “My ankles gave out.”  
“How long have you been lying there?” Yellow asked, brushing his bangs away and gently touching the bruise to heal it.  
“A few hours I guess,” he said nonchalantly. “When I realized I couldn’t stand I just took a nap. You actually woke me up.”  
“I’m just glad you’re ok,” Yellow replied, letting her fingertips rest just a little too long on his face. She turned away, shoving her worry deep down and smiling back at him.  
“Has this ever happened before?”  
Red hesitated. “... this is the third time.”  
Yellow felt her heart ache at his words.  
“Red, that’s...”  
“It’s bad, I know. I just... don’t know what to do about it.”  
Yellow sighed.  
“I don’t.... I don’t think it’s safe for you to live alone. What would happen if no one found you?”  
The poke balls on Red’s belt rattled in agreement. Red looked, for the first time since Yellow met him— how long was that, 7 years?— ashamed.  
“It’s ok to ask for help,” she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. Red turned away from her, his voice barely a whisper.  
“You’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was initially the opening scene to a much longer fic that was supposed to be about Red moving in with Yellow and learning to be vulnerable... but I forgot about it.


	6. Midnight Musings (Diamond+Pearl+Platinum)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Platinum loves her knights at night. She's quite sappy about it.

Platinum woke up and glanced towards the window. Silver moonlight shone down on her, bathing the room in a soft glow. She could barely make out her friends’ sleeping silhouettes in the dark, but she could identify them easily by Diamond’s gentle snoring and the way Pearl shifted constantly, even in his sleep. The swish of blankets and the low rumbling were the only noises in the room, so Platinum just took it all in.  
On her left, Diamond was curled up like a cat, his expression warm even in sleep. He didn’t budge, only snoring peacefully with his arms tucked into his chest. The top few buttons on his pajama shirt were undone, and Platinum wished that she was the one snoozing in his arms. The irony that Diamond was easily twice her size and yet wearing a pair of Proteam Omega pajamas wasn’t lost on her, but something about it was hopelessly endearing. She almost wanted to reach out and hug him like a pillow, press her face into the soft skin and let his strong arms hold her tight. But he looked so peaceful laying there that she couldn’t bear to disturb him. Instead she ran a soft hand over his cheek, whispered something she wouldn’t remember in the morning, and turned away before she could have second thoughts.  
On her right, Pearl flipped over so that he finally faced her. He looked peaceful in sleep, the worry lines and big smile melted off his face in exchange for a calm, somber expression. The tiniest line of drool slid down his cheek, and coupled with his disheveled hair, it made him seem like he had truly crashed after a long day of adventuring. Pearl’s arm flopped onto Platinum’s side. As carefully as she could, she intertwined his fingers with hers, taking the time she knew he wouldn’t to admire how his hand fit into hers. His were calloused where hers was smooth, his fingers long and bony where hers were soft, but they still felt nice in hers even if they didn’t quite fit together.  
Platinum gently placed his arm on his side of the bed, just thinking about how, even though he and Diamond wore the same size pajamas— or so Pearl claimed— Pearl’s hung loosely off his frame. The blankets swallowed him, losing him completely in a sea of silken sheets. As she brushed the hair out of his eyes, Platinum couldn’t help but stare at his face, at his long lashes and relaxed expression, and imagine all the ways she could fit herself into his embrace.  
Laying back on her pillow, Platinum reached out so that her fingertips just rested on the edges of her friends’ arms. They were touching, but just barely. Even in sleep, she felt better with them by her sides. Perhaps, with their warmth seeping into her hands and making her heart soar, she would see them again in her dreams. As she fell back asleep, she decided that yes, she would like that very much.


	7. Sapphic (Sapphire+Lisia)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapphire is a lesbian.

Lisia stood over Sapphire, and all at once Sapphire began to understand why Ruby always said high heels were power and makeup was an art. Her piercing eyes, tiny pools of sky encased in a fiery gaze, pinned Sapphire to the ground and tore her down to her most exposed, vulnerable self. Sapphire reached out. She felt completely at the idol’s mercy. Somehow, she was fine with that.  
Lisia leaned down and extended a well-manicured hand, teasing Sapphire’s apart as she ran her fingertips over the scarred, calloused skin.  
“You’re so beautiful,” she said. As she spoke, Sapphire’s gaze traveled down from her beautiful eyes to the curve of her lips and the brilliance of her smile. As Lisia moved herself onto Sapphire’s lap, she finally got the courage to speak.  
“Stop,” Sapphire admitted, “I don’t deserve you.”  
Lisia’s gaze softened, and she ran a hand over Sapphire’s face to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Lisia’s lips pecked at the scar on her cheek, causing the heat to rise up to her face.  
“You deserve everything,” she purred, leaving a trail of kisses down her face and neck. Every bump, every bruise, every scar got a pretty pink lipstick mask. Sapphire spread out on the sand, just taking in the feeling of Lisia’s hands and lips exploring every inch of her face. Despite herself, she began to laugh. Lisia quickly pulled back and said with a flutter of those long, beautiful lashes, “what’s the matter?”  
“What I meant,” Sapphire said, “was that I didn’t deserve you because I haven’t showered today. But you can keep going if you want.”  
Lisia gasped in indignation.  
“You little—!! No more kisses tonight!”  
Sapphire reached out her arms and pulled Lisia into her as she rolled back into the sand.  
“Not my kisses!” she exclaimed in mock horror. Lisia turned to her with a pout, then leaned in and locked their lips together.  
“Ok,” she mumbled into her surprised girlfriend’s face, “maybe one more.”


	8. Please eat popsicles like a normal person (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold and Silver are stuck in Goldenrod during a heat wave and eat popsicles to cool off.
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Sexual innuendos... everywhere.

It was August 10th, the midst of the Johtoian summer, and ‘hot as balls outside’, as Gold liked to put it. The heat was oppressive, burning the whole of Goldenrod to a crisp as the sun beat down on the weary citizens without a cloud in the sky to relieve them from its flames. Sweat glistened on the forehead of every traveler and flowers seemed to shrivel as noon approached. The heat was merciless, the asphalt close to bubbling and hot enough to fry an egg even on a shady sidewalk.  
As Silver and Gold trudged over the melted pavement tar they saw it: the nectar of the gods. The frozen concoction, the chilled ambrosia, the most deliciously cold treat and the only thing they needed on this summer’s day.  
Popsicles.  
Gold bought for them both: a cherry for himself and a lemon for Silver. Their swollen sweaty hands clutched in a vice grip around their prizes, they sped for the nearest open bench in the National Park. It was empty, the heat driving away all its usual patrons. Even the Bug Catching Contest had been cancelled, as every bug seemed a sluggish pile of goo in the sun’s unyielding heat.  
The two boys looked at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Gold, not breaking eye contact with his rival as a grin spread across his face, leaned in and flicked his tongue over the edge of the popsicle. He savored the taste, letting saliva pool at the corners of his mouth. He licked it again, twirling his tongue around the end seductively before moving it down the popsicle shaft. As the popsicle melted, Gold slowly licked it again, catching each melted crimson rivulet in the groove of his tongue before pulling it into his mouth. He licked his lips, letting his eyes soften as he stared at Silver mischievously. Silver was disgusted, but a challenge was a challenge.  
Silver, not one to be outdone, kissed the popsicle gently. Slowly, surely, tantalizingly, he worked his lips around the popsicle tip and slid it into his mouth, where he gently sucked on it without breaking eye contact. Gold smiled, likewise forcing his lips around the popsicle and working it father and father back into his mouth. It was melting rapidly, sending gushes of cool sweet cherry juice dripping down his throat. Tears sprang in his eyes at the numbing sensation as he deep-throated the popsicle, but he ignored them for the sake of his pride. Crystal would kill him if she knew.  
He winked at Silver, who was now methodically running his lips up and down the shaft, holding the stick like a syringe and pulling it back and forth, back and forth. Gold gently grabbed his own popsicle stick between his thumb and forefinger, deliberately pulling it out of his mouth and making sure Silver saw the cherry-stained, stringy saliva connecting his lips and his phallic dessert. It glistened like a red spiderweb before sagging and falling to the ground with a gentle dripping sound. Gold stared seductively at his rival, puckering his lips before pulling them apart with a wet smack. He fluttered his eyelashes, licking his lips as he stared. His boyfriend was significantly less amused.  
Silver held his popsicle up to the light, watching as it slowly melted in his hand and became shiny and wet. He brought it to his mouth, slowly, surely, lovingly, as Gold watched in sheer anticipation.  
And, eyes locked on his rival:  
He bit it in half.  
Gold’s popsicle, wet and half-melted from the heat, slipped off its stick and fell to the ground with a wet plop.


	9. Wedding Planning (Sun+X with BG Y+Moon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dexholders should not be allowed into a Homegoods without adult supervision

Sun hoisted a Xerneas inspired bouquet of fake flowers in front of his face, staring through the glittery plastic petals with a catlike grin.  
“No,” X replied, wheeling the shopping cart directly past him.  
“But it would make a lovely accent piece!” Sun protested.  
“We have a one bedroom apartment,” X retorted, “plus we’re only here for a wedding gift in the first place.”  
Sun pouted and rushed the flowers back to the display as X looked with deep contemplation at a line of seemingly identical toasters.  
“That’s so boring!” Sun complained. “We should get em THIS!”  
With a flourish, Sun hoisted a rainbow Swanna shaped vase above his head, shouting “we need this!” as X hurried into the next aisle. Every time he turned around there was Sun, proudly displaying the dumbest thing he could find like a lost treasure. His goofy grin was cute, but at around aisle seven it started to get old. X nearly slapped a picture frame made of berry leaves out of his hand, exasperated.  
“You’re no fun,” Sun pouted.  
“We need to buy a wedding gift!” X protested. “I’m sure Y and Mo— oh.”  
As soon as he spoke, Y made a beeline down the center aisle, a decorative mask covering her face.  
“I, the deity of the furniture, demand a sacrifice! Miss Poison, I may only be freed from this curse by a lovely dinner for two!” Moon stomped up to her, her whole face flushed.  
“Yvonne we are in the _middle _of a Homegoods _,” she hissed. Y pulled the mask off and ruffled Moon’s hair._  
“Lighten up, there’s no reason we can’t look for a gift and have fun at the same time!”  
Moon sighed. “Alright, fine.”  
The two girls trotted off, looking for the wedding gift with renewed vigor as Sun turned to X, a huge grin on his face as he tried to pull a 10 foot stuffed incinerator plushie off the wall. X didn’t even have to turn around.  
“Absolutely not.”__


	10. Role Reversal (Emerald+BG Frantic)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Franticshipping with Emerald in the background? Nah fam: Emerald with franticshipping in the background

Emerald did not understand why he had to get the locker right next to Ruby’s. No one else in the school had to deal with glitter coating everything they owned just by proxy. No one else had to smell their locker neighbor’s sickening cologne before they saw them. And no one else had to deal with the prick snogging the brains out of his girlfriend every 20 minutes.  
There was, quite frankly, no reason to kiss someone that frequently. What if that wild girl was sick or had ringworm or something? She ate enough dirt for it to be in the realm of possibility.  
Emerald closed his locker with a sigh. Ruby and Sapphire were chatting, leaning against the locker as she looked at him dreamily. The way they looked at each other, with those soft eyes, with that loving gaze... that was the worst part.  
Because as much as he hated his locker neighbor sometimes, he couldn’t help but root for the lovebirds. Somewhere, deep down in his shriveled little heart, he couldn’t help but feel happy for them. Smiling, he walked to homeroom, taking a mental note to save two seats for his airheaded friends.  
Right next to each other, of course.


	11. Toothache (Sinnoh Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diamond can't get the pain in his jaw to go away

”It hurts...” Diamond whined, clutching at his jaw.  
“This is entirely your fault, I have no sympathy for you,” Pearl replied, crossing his arms and turning away from his friend lest Diamond’s expert pouting pull him under.  
“Diamond, perhaps you should eat less or carry a toothbrush around with you?” Platinum offered. “Regular brushing can lead to fewer cavities.”  
Diamond huffed, eyeing the window of the pastry shop as they walked by.  
“Don’t even,” Pearl warned. Diamond tore his gaze away, sighing and not saying another word until they arrived back at the hotel. As soon as they reached their room, Diamond fell onto the bed, clutching his jaw and letting himself sniffle a bit.  
“Would you like some painkillers?” Platinum asked. Diamond nodded, curling up on the sheets. Pearl let out a long sigh.  
“Alright fine,” he snapped. “C’mere you big baby.”  
Diamond happily fell into Pearl’s lap as Platinum fished painkillers out of her bag. Diamond popped two in his mouth and snuggled up to Pearl as Platinum sat beside them.  
Pearl planted a quick kiss on Diamond’s lips, causing him to blush and bury his head in Pearl’s shirt.  
“I feel better already,” he whispered.  
“Diamond, the painkiller I gave you has a two hour activation time, so I’m intrigued as to how they’re already working,” Platinum explained.  
As she stared at them in confusion, Pearl and Diamond began to laugh. Diamond quickly clutched his jaw.  
“Ow owowowOW!” he squeaked. “Still hurts.”


	12. Game Night (Gold+Platinum)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold brings Platinum to a game corner and proves himself to be The Worst Type of Parent

The lights of Goldenrod illuminated the night, a flashing mosaic of colors glittering and gleaming in all their neon glory at the ripe hour of three am. Gold held Platinum’s hand, pulling her through the faceless crowds with his eyes transfixed on the flashing sign before him.  
“This is.... no,” Platinum said, her voice small and far away.  
“Oh, oh yes!” Gold cheered, pulling her into him. Her dainty hands clutched his hoodie, her wide innocent eyes staring out in naïveté at the blinking lights.  
“There’s nothing like this in Sinnoh,” Platinum said, walking forward in awe. She was like a kid in a candy store, amazed by the display. As they opened the doors, the ring of slot machines filled their ears. Platinum stood in the center of the vomit-stained rugs, encased in a halo of cigarette smoke with air conditioning teasing at the ends of her skirt. Gold flicked his hands forward, egging her on. Platinum closed her eyes and inhaled the pure oxygen, then took off, her eyes alight in childlike wonder as she swung into the seat of the nearest slot machine and wrapped her hands around the lever. Determination shone in her expression. As she faded into the faceless crowd and Gold waltzed through the casino, he caressed the Berlitz family credit card like his own child. Sliding it over the counter with a smile, he scanned the floor for the nearest poker game. Not far, a pretty lady leaned over the counter, dealing cards. Today was going to be a good night for Gold.


	13. Just Hangin Around (Sapphire+Emerald)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald shows Sapphire a special place

”Uh, Rald? Are ya sure you didn’t want to bring Ruby here?” Sapphire asked, watching Rald stuff towels and sandals into his bag. He turned to her with a shrug.  
“You’re my friend too, right? I can bring you places,” he replied.  
Sapphire said nothing, following Emerald as he led her over the guardrail and down the path. She was surprised at how treacherous it was, with huge gaps in the cliffside and thin trails that wound through the rocks and shrubbery. Sapphire was comfortable with Emerald’s pace, realizing about half a mile in that he naturally wouldn’t bring Ruby somewhere like this. Something about Emerald being there with her made their hike all the more fun. She blindly followed him around the mountain and towards the ocean, wading into the unknown with the wide expanse of glittering blue-green beneath them.  
“Almost there,” he said, pointing at an outcropping a little ways away. Sapphire dutifully followed, watching as Emerald kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his swimsuit.  
“Whatcha doing?” Sapphire asked him as he stretched. He spun round and took a flying leap off the cliff as a response, shouting ‘swimming!’ as he plummeted to the ground below. Without a second thought, Sapphire dove after him, falling through the air as she wheeled her arms and tried not to scream. She had done a lot of things, but diving off a cliff was not something she had tried before. For a few brief seconds she was weightless, her stomach dropping somewhere below while the roar of wind filled her every thought. Clenching her eyes shut, Sapphire was surprised as she canon-balled into the ocean, not the ground. As she broke the surface, she searched desperately for Emerald. But when she looked up, she found a small cove carved out on the underside of the marble cliff. Emerald looked down at her with a grin, waving from the cove rocks above.  
“Tada!” he proclaimed. Sapphire shook the water out of her hair, paddling over to the beach and flopping down beside Emerald.  
“This is super cool,” she admitted. Emerald only beckoned her forward, gesturing deeper into the cove. The darkness seemed to hide the mouth of a cave, calling the curious and brave to explore its depths. Emerald sat down at the mouth, slowly scooting himself down the steep incline. Sapphire followed him, eventually losing him in the dark when she felt water beneath her feet.  
“Stay there!” Emerald called. “This is the place.”  
Sapphire wasn’t sure what was so great about a dark cave with only a tiny sliver of light raining in from the ceiling until she saw Emerald’s silhouette struggling to move what looked like a giant crystal into a shaft of sunlight. He succeeded before she could ask what he was doing, silencing her as the sunlight bounced off the main crystal and illuminated the entire crystalline cavern in blue light. Emerald hopped into the deeper water, paddling over to an alcove where he produced two pool floats. Climbing up on one and drifting over to Sapphire, he gave her a smile.  
“Surprise!” he said. Sapphire tackled him, dousing them both in water.  
“Y’er the COOLEST!” she cheered, swimming around the cavern gleefully. Emerald returned to his tube, floating around with his hands behind his head.  
“I know.”


	14. Mistaken Identity (Sinnoh Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Platinum makes an embarrassing mistake

Platinum looked around the resort for Pearl. He said he would meet them at the pool area, but he was nowhere to be found. His stuff was even there, sprawled out over a few lounge chairs and saving Platinum a nice spot under the umbrella. She placed her bag down on the table, shedding her towel and sandals to go walk around the poolside in search of her friend. Diamond stayed a bit behind her, following as she wandered around.  
As she walked past the water's edge at the deep end of the massive pool, someone popped their head out of the water. Their blond hair fell down over their eyes, the sides falling in layers over their ears down to their shoulders. The edges fanned out like tendrils of seaweed as they treaded water and looked up at her. Platinum kneeled down.  
"Sorry to bother you ma'am but I was wondering if you've seen my friend Pearl anywhere around here? He just dropped his stuff under that pink umbrella and he said he'd meet me here but I don't see him."  
Behind her, Diamond began to laugh. The stranger in the pool frowned.  
"He's tall, kind of pale, has blond hair, and is probably wearing stripes," Platinum continued. "If you saw someone like that pacing around or yelling that was probably him."  
The stranger lifted a hand to push the bangs out of their face. Platinum flushed as disapproving orange eyes met hers and she realized who she was talking to.  
"Hi Platinum," Pearl said.


	15. Heartswap (Sinnoh Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diamond and Pearl make the best of a bad situation.

Manaphy giggled, twirling in circles around them as she clapped her hands in the joy of executing a perfect move.  
“Heart swap?” Pearl said. But the voice that came out of his mouth wasn’t his. It was deeper, softer, weightier. It made him feel powerful, but it also felt sort of foreign. He touched his neck. His fingers were swollen. His neck was much sweatier than he remembered. Something was very wrong. He could feel things that weren’t supposed to be there, missing things he swore were a part of him. Everything was wrong wrong _wrong _. Panicking, he turned to Diamond. He looked down to his face like he normally did but only saw a striped shirt. Tilting his head up— what a strange feeling— he saw his own face. His own eyes stared back at him. His own body was standing there and _he wasn’t in it _. Letting out a cry of alarm, he looked down at his hands.  
Except they weren’t his hands, they were Diamond’s hands. He was speaking in Diamond’s voice, he was wearing Diamond’s clothes. He was _in Diamond’s body _.  
This was not his flesh suit and he wanted out.  
Pearl watched himself— no, _Diamond _— reach into his bag and pull out a Pokédex. In Pearl’s own voice (he didn’t remember being that squeaky) he read off the description of the move.  
“The user employs its psychic power to switch stat changes with the foe.”  
“Does it say anything about bodies?” Pearl asked.  
“No...” Diamond replied. “Since Manaphy isn’t well researched, all we can really do now is wait for it to wear off or Manaphy to switch back.”  
“What are we doing to do in the meantime?”  
Diamond thought a bit, and as Pearl watched, a devilish smile crept onto his face.  
“Wanna mess with Platinum?”  
\---  
Platinum heard her knights before she could see them. Their footsteps, one set fast and heavy and the other light and slow, preceded their appearance, so she called out to them with a smile as she continued to read.  
"Hello boys," she called as they ran up. A familiar soft voice responded with an unfamiliar shout.  
"Hi Platinum!" Diamond called with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were alight, a fire blazing in the deep blue as he ran up to her and grabbed the edge of her chair. Pearl followed behind slowly, an easy smile on his face. He looked at her with calm, half-lidded eyes. Platinum was confused.  
"Diamond, you startled me," she said. "Perchance did something happen that has you so excited today?"  
"Nope!" Diamond chirped. "Just excited that the day is so nice; it'll be perfect weather to practice Manzai!"  
Platinum stared at him. He wasn't acting normal, more similar to another blond boy she knew than his usual self.  
"Are you... feeling alright?" She reached forward to offer him some of her snacks. "Would you like a teabiscuit?"  
"Oh, uh, no thank yo--"  
"I'll take one," Pearl interrupted, snatching it from her instead and taking a small bite.  
Platinum stared at them both, unsure of what to say. Pearl was quietly eating her teabiscuit, not bothering to wipe the crumbs off his cheeks or roll his sleeves up. Diamond, meanwhile, had taken off his jacket and tied it around his waist, bouncing from foot to foot as though overflowing with energy. Platinum looked to Empoleon, who was reading beside her. She shrugged, so Platinum just shook her head and smiled up at them. Where was a Snickers when you needed one?________


	16. Eugh.... (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Directions unclear, got my d^ck stuck in a sandwich

”Whatcha doin?” Gold asked, hopping up on the kitchen table as Silver finished cleaning his dishes.   
“Making a sandwich,” Silver replied. The aforementioned sandwich was sitting, unassuming, on a little plate in the center of the table. Gold snatched it while Silver was turning around to put the knife he used in the dishwasher, sneaking the tiniest bite.   
He regretted every life decision he had made up to that point the instant it hit his tongue. He tasted bread, he tasted peanut butter, and he tasted something so vile, so oily, so disgusting that it made him gag on instinct and run to the garbage to spit out whatever sludge he had mistakenly put in his mouth.   
“WHAT WAS IN THAT?!” Gold shouted. Silver looked at him quizzically as he took a bite of his sandwich. He contemplated the question as he chewed.   
“It’s just a PB&J.”  
“What kind of jelly did you use?” Gold asked as he debated just cutting his tongue off. The flavor— if it could be called that— was still stuck to his tongue.   
“Pet-roll-eye-um.”  
“YOU MADE A PB&J WITH PETROLEUM JELLY?!”  
Silver took another bite.   
“Yeah,” he said, his voice muffled.  
“That’s— you can’t— I—.... never-mind, do what you want.”  
Gold gave up and dialed Crystal’s phone number as Silver finished his sandwich.   
“Crystal,” he said, “you are not going to believe this.”


	17. Route 119 (Ruby+Sapphire)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Sapphire get stuck in the rain and Ruby does something nice for a change

Ruby and Sapphire walked through the tall grass, the former trying to hide his blatant disgust lest he hurt the latter’s feelings. He had forgotten how _tall _the grass was around Route 119, and as he pushed the chest-high foliage to either side, he watched out for the bobbing mop of brown hair in front of him.  
“We’re almost there!” Sapphire called as she scaled a rocky slope. Ruby stood at the bottom frowning as Sapphire leapt up gracefully. She waved excitedly from the top, jumping up and down when Ruby gave a tiny wave back. He curled his fingers, observing his perfect manicure for the final time as he leaned against the rocks and began to climb. Acrylics could survive a lot, but not this. He made a mental note to make himself another appointment as he searched for a foothold. Though the slope was only about ten feet tall, Ruby was having a lot more trouble with it than he anticipated. He called Sapphire’s name, who poked her head out from over the ridge like a Poochyena ready to fetch.  
“Ya?” she asked, blinking down at him. Ruby tested the rocks, reaching out to her as he struggled to keep his balance. “Ya really can’t keep ‘yer balance?”  
Ruby sighed. “You know hiking through the wilderness was never my thing,” he admitted. Sapphire nodded, wrapping her hands around his arm and hoisting him up like a feather. Ruby went careening over the ridge and fell, landing right in a patch of damp ground that was clearly already soaking through his pants. He wanted to lament about how much wash he would have to do later, but held his tongue. Sapphire was clearly enjoying herself, and that’s what was important, right? Ruby sighed, his subtle complaint drowned out by the sound of rushing water. The river had swollen in the gorge, bubbling and racing only a little ways away.  
Wait. That meant it was going to rain.  
As soon as the thought crossed Ruby’s mind, he felt a drop of rain smatter against his nose. He wrinkled his face in disgust, wondering whether or not he had used waterproof mascara today before realizing that of course, he was Ruby, he was always prepared.  
But as the wall of water rushed in with a dull roar and began to soak the two dexholders, Ruby realized that while his makeup was safe, his friend was not. Sapphire tried to cover her hair with her hands, evidently not wanting to ruin the careful hairdo that Ruby had so kindly given her before their excursion. Ruby pulled a small umbrella-- only enough for one-- out of his bag, then frowned as he saw Sapphire duck for cover under a tree as the rain became a downpour. Sighing, he grabbed Sapphire’s hand and pulled her out into the rain.  
“H- Hey, what are yo-”  
Sapphire froze when Ruby pressed his little pink umbrella into her hands, smiling as he pushed it over her head.  
“What are you doing prissy boy? Don’t ya hate getting wet?”  
“I hate seeing my work get wet more,” he lied. In truth, he just wanted Sapphire to be dry and warm when they got back to the Weather Institute. “Besides, I’m already soaked and you smell like a Poochyena when you’re wet, unlike moi.”  
Sapphire blushed, clutching the umbrella tighter. “No I don’t! ‘Yer lying!!” she protested. “... right?”  
Ruby laughed, shaking water out of the brim of his hat. “Yeah, I’m just messing with you. You don’t smell like a Poochyena, you smell like a _Mightyena _.” Sapphire growled at him, pouting as the Weather Institute came into view. They looked at each other and smiled, sharing a tender moment in the rain before thunder crackled behind them and they broke into a dead sprint. Sapphire leapt up the Weather Institute stairs three at a time, only pausing at the front door to make sure Ruby was behind her. He stumbled up to the entrance panting and out of breath, soaked through and looking like a Zigzagoon dunked in water-- scrawny, scared, and pitiful. Sapphire shook out the umbrella sheepishly, then closed it and handed it to Ruby.  
“Sorry ‘ya got wet,” she said.  
“No, no,” Ruby insisted, “that was actually kind of fun. We should… do that again sometime.”  
Sapphire’s face lit up as Ruby turned away, wringing out his hat.  
“But for now I need some dry clothes, I refuse to be wet. I don’t wanna be sticky later.”  
Sapphire nodded, watching as Ruby pulled an entire outfit out of his bag.  
“Here, let me get you some towels-- do you have another outfit with you at all times?” she asked.  
Ruby scoffed, slipping off his jacket with a smile. “Of course! What do you think I am, an animal?”____


	18. Area 51 (Gold+Emerald)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold and Emerald storm Area 51 and discover something they wish they could forget

“Gold, are you sure this is a good idea?”  
The trainer in question turned from his spot on the fence, looking down at Emerald with a quizzical expression.   
“We won’t be long, I just wanna see if we can find any aliens or government secrets or whatever. Besides, the Pokemon Association and I are like, mega bros so it’s fine.”  
“If we get arrested you’re paying my bail money,” Emerald responded as Gold dropped down to the other side and pulled out his pokegear. Gold turned on the flashlight and swept it over the area as Emerald scaled the fence behind him. The light reflected off the desert sands, showing little but a few Cacnea and a lot of disappointment. As Emerald landed beside him with a dull thump and wiped the sand off his clothes, Gold began his trek. They continued, Gold’s flashlight and the light of the moon their only guide as they trudged onwards through a silvery desert for what seemed like hours but was probably closer to 20 minutes. Slowly, a massive building rose on the horizon, its steel exterior almost glowing in the pale light. Gold quickly turned his flashlight off as he and Emerald stared. Warning signs flanked them on either side, which the boys ignored to the best of their ability.   
But between them and the mysterious building lay something strange: a statue, almost resembling a Darmanitan, but curled up and carved into a green stone. Many of them littered the desert surrounding the building, strange markings in the sand encircling each one. Gold began to take pictures while Emerald stared, wide-eyed, at the sight.   
“Is this some kind of alien ritual?” he asked. Gold shrugged, creeping ever closer. Now his heart began to beat in his chest, the thumping rhythm reaching a crescendo as he reached out to touch one of the statues.   
But the instant before he could, each one of the strange relics suddenly shifted in the sand to face him, their eyes aglow. Emerald whimpered, pulling Gold back as the statues’ soulless eyes looked deep into Gold’s psyche. Both of them wanted to run, but neither of them could move; their legs were frozen as they looked up in horror at the starry sky, which began to waver as light from the statues rose into the air like smoke.   
“W- what’s going on?” Emerald asked. Gold didn’t have a response to that. The statues quivered as a strange rumbling filled the air, becoming louder and louder like a jet plane. Suddenly, a massive UFO appeared in the sky before the two trainers, who could do naught but look up in slack-jawed awe.   
“Is that--?” Gold asked. Emerald whispered back.   
“It is.”  
Slowly, a tractor beam reached its glowing tendrils towards the ground, stirring the sands as it deposited a passenger onto the desert. Gold and Emerald couldn’t believe their eyes.   
The creature that looked back at them was small, humanoid, and wide-eyed, with a smiling mouth like a W and a cheeky grin.   
“Thanks for the lift!” it called to the UFO as it sped away. The statues went dark, their glow faded as they shifted back into their original positions half buried in the sand. Gold and Emerald trembled, hugging each other tight as the strangely human creature turned to look at them.   
“Hewwo!” it said. “My name is Sun, but you can call me Courier!”


	19. Treading Water (Sinnoh Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Platinum learns how (not) to swim.

”Ok Missy, I’m going to let go now.”  
“N- not yet!” Platinum squealed, her arms wrapping tighter around Diamond’s shoulders.   
“One more minute and then I have to let you go, I just want you to try treading water on your own.”  
Platinum frowned as though she wanted to protest, but never got the chance. A burst of pool water hit the two of them, drenching their heads completely.   
“*Zelhiko*!” shouted a voice. Diamond and Platinum looked up to see Pearl looking sternly down at the pool, where Zelhiko swam in circles around Diamond and Platinum. The former was treading water, trying to convince the latter to let go of him and try treading water herself.   
“You’re still holding onto him?” Pearl asked as he sat down at the water’s edge. “It’s not like you’re gonna drown or anything, you just have to cycle your legs; y’know, like you’re riding a bike.”  
“Yes, and my learning how to ride a bike went so well.”  
“Was that sarcasm?” Pearl asked incredulously. Platinum gestured towards Pearl in response, which confused him until he felt Zelhiko’s paws wrap around his leg and yank him into the water. He popped up from the water with a scowl, shaking his head at the two of them. Miraculously, the water didn’t seem to weigh his hair down— at all.   
“You’ll never learn to swim like this,” Pearl chided. Platinum looked resolved and threw herself off of Diamond, quickly realizing that was a terrible idea as she sank like a brick.  
She flailed helplessly for a moment, hunting for something to grab onto. Her hands eventually found Pearl’s waist, which she latched onto like a Komala and used as leverage to pull herself above the surface. Pearl grabbed her and held her tight, trying to hoist her upper body above the water just in case.   
“A- are you ok? Are you hurt? Did you swallow any water?”  
Platinum coughed as Pearl rattled off questions.   
“I didn’t... drown,” she said, which seemed to silence him.   
“I guess.... I guess not.”  
“Yay Missy!” Diamond cheered. Pearl shifted to better support her weight as Platinum gave the two of them a silky grin.  
”Maybe we should try floating first,” Diamond offered.  
“Yes please,” Pearl and Platinum said in rushed unison.


	20. Mwahaha! (Lance+Yellow)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance joins Rainbow Rocket and Yellow prepares to kick his butt... again.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Yellow snarled. The dragon master turned to her, his eyes shining with arrogance as he looked down upon the petite girl before him. This was not the Lance that Yellow had come to know. There was a haughtiness in his eyes and malice in his smile that Yellow had not seen since Cerise Island. There was something very, very wrong.   
“I don’t know, who do you think you are?” he asked with a sneer.   
“I am Amarillo del Bosque Verde, and I defeated you on Cerise Island.”  
A smile crept onto Lance’s face. “I only remember you falling into lava and dying. Perhaps I am not the Lance you remember, but I was not defeated by some forest freak and her stupid rat.”  
Yellow looked, for once, extremely shaken. “What?”  
“I have freed my world from the shackles of human confinement and made a better life for Pokemon everywhere.” As he spoke, his Dragonite reared up behind him, its shadow growing to cover Lance and Yellow in darkness as it stared at her with gleaming red eyes. “Now that I have entered your world, I will do the same.”  
Yellow fell back into a defensive stance, her hands wrapped tightly around her fishing pole as Ratty gnashed its teeth at her side. She stared up at Lance in defiance as he looked out at Alola with a manic smile. His cape flapped in the wind as Dragonite rose into the air, stirring the undergrowth with each flap of its wings.   
“I’ve defeated you once,” Lance growled, “and I will defeat you again. So prepare yourself, Amarillo del Bosque Verde, to die for your petty ideals!”


	21. Salt Circles (Pearl+Platinum)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Platinum is trying something new that worries Pearl just a bit.

Pearl shook the snow off his scarf as he walked in, stamping his feet on the entrance rug and kicking his shoes off before walking into the kitchen. Diamond milled about, his eyes scanning his spice cabinet while Lax sat on the counter working through a bag of Chexmix.  
“Hey Diamond!” he called out, only to for Diamond to mumble something like hello without looking up. It was still almost funny to see Diamond so focused; he barely noticed Pearl’s presence. Shrugging it off, Pearl kept looking through the house for Platinum. Her father and Sebastian had gone off to some research summit with Rowan, leaving the three dexholders alone in a giant mansion. Just finding Platinum was like an impromptu game of hide-and-seek, though to be fair Platinum was only ever in her bedroom, the study, the kitchen, or the library. But the studies were empty, her room was dark, and she was nowhere in the kitchen.  
Weirdly enough, the last place she could reasonably be was also dark, though Pearl sword he heard her mumbling inside. Not one to care much about privacy, he threw open the double door to see Platinum on the outside of a salt circle, staring and chanting at a dark red pentagram in the center of the floor. Candles littered the outskirts, their orange glow illuminating her hooded face.  
Upon seeing the light flood into her private affairs, Platinum froze, looking up at him.  
“Oh, hi Pearl,” she said.  
“What is this,” Pearl replied flatly. Platinum gave him the cute smile she always did when trying something new.  
“I’m performing Satanic rituals,” she chirped, “you should join me!”  
And that was how Pearl ended up summoning a demon.


	22. Movie Night (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold watches a movie with Silver. Silver overthinks things.

Gold stopped behind the couch, cocking his head and leaning in to study Silver’s expression (or lack thereof) from the side.  
“Whatcha doin?” he asked. Silver was idly flipping through TV channels, pondering over titles he had clearly never seen before.  
“Proteam Omega isn’t on today,” he said, moving on to the next page of channels. Gold said nothing, watching contently as every channel’s listings went by. This went on for a while, Gold watching Silver as Silver stared blankly at the screen, clearly unsure of what to watch. Eventually something in Gold’s peripheral vision caught his eye.  
“Stop!” he exclaimed, “go back!!”  
“Wha-?” Silver asked, moving to the previous page of channel listings. “Do you want to watch someth-”  
“No no no too far! Down two more. More, more… yeah. Yeah, that’s it.”  
Silver looked at Gold skeptically. “I thought you said you didn’t like kids’ movies.”  
“Silver, buddy, this isn’t a kids movie. This is a masterpiece,” Gold said, throwing his hands out for emphasis. “You have to watch this, I declare it.” Snatching the remote out of Silver’s hand and ignoring how the redhead tried to slap him, he leapt over the couch and landed with a thump next to him.  
“This seems serious,” Silver said, his brows furrowed as Gold reached over the couch armrest to pull a blanket overtop both of them.  
Gold began to rant excitedly about the movie, but Silver heard none of it. Gold’s flailing arms were inches away from his face, and he could feel each movement where their shoulders touched. Acutely aware of how their legs brushed up against each other under the safety of the blanket, Silver tried to hide his flushed cheeks.  
Don’t make this weird, he thought. Don’t make this weird.  
Gold broke him out of his stupor with a good-natured punch. “Alright big boy, you ready for this?”  
Silver glanced at him, wide-eyed, and shrugged.  
“Alright! Let’s get this party started!” Gold said. “Oh, I should probably turn off the lights. Preserve the mood and all, y’know?”  
Silver was only half listening as Gold called out to Ataro to hit the lightswitch, too preoccupied with trying to decipher what that meant. What mood? What exactly was Gold planning to do during this children’s movie?! Gold turned to him, suddenly serious.  
“You ready?” Gold said. Silver’s breath hitched. “Because, y’know, I don’t watch Homeward Bound with just anyone.”


	23. Take a Break (Gold+Crystal)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold thinks... no, Gold KNOWS that Crystal works too much. He's about to put an end to that

As much as he liked to make fun of her, Gold was worried about Crystal. She was overworked, with ponytails as tight and stiff as her work ethic and a face so often pulled into a concerned expression that she was getting worry lines at age 16. With her work for professor Oak only seeming to grow by the day as Daisy and Green drifted into their own duties, Crystal seemed too over-scheduled to sleep, never mind do the fun things that 16 year old girls were supposed to do.   
It was when Emerald called him on the phone at 2:30 in the morning that he decided there would be an immediate intervention.  
He arrived at her doorstep by three, looking like a delinquent with an oversized hoodie and a pair of shorts on that he swore were probably swim trunks. But the monstrosity that opened the door looked even worse. It might have at some point been Crystal, but the stress has transformed into an entirely different beast. She was wearing nothing but underwear and a massive, ill-fitting t-shirt, looking at him with hopeless bloodshot eyes half-covered by the frizzy mane of neon blue that was once her hair. Her right hand steadied herself against the door while the other waved Gold in, still clutching the crushed remains of an energy drink like it was the last bottle of water on earth. Papers were everywhere; every surface was converted into a workspace. There were no posters or stuffed animals or pictures with friends, only a swivel chair and piles upon piles of manilla folders filled with paperwork and mystery.   
“Crystal, what time do you have to get up tomorrow?” Gold asked, not dating to comment on the state of her room.   
“Seven. The Professor has some paperwork he wants me to do.”  
“It’s three now, shouldn’t you sleep?”  
“I have a report to finish.”  
Gold stayed silent.   
“I’ll finish it. Go to bed.”  
Crystal seemed too tired to protest verbally, so she walked up to her swivel chair and sat down, staring ahead with soulless eyes at her laptop glowing harsh and blue in the darkness.  
Gold grabbed the back of her chair and wheeled it away, spinning it towards the window as he lifted Crystal up and carried her to bed. Crystal looked frustrated enough to cry, but too exhausted to counter.   
“I can do this all night,” Gold said as he pushed her into the bed.   
“I will call Professor Oak. Go to sleep.”  
Crystal swatted his hand away weakly, trying to get up. Sunbo has already popped up behind Gold, waiting for his command. Crystal shook her head and thrashed weakly against Gold’s grip as Sunbo’s Grass Whistle drifted through the air and made Crystal drift off to sleep. Gold finally let her go as she slumped on her bed, tucking her under the blankets and closing her laptop. As he pulled out his pokegear to call a favor to Green and discarded the Worry Seed that allowed him to stay awake, he turned Crystal’s alarm off. According to Emerald, this was the first time she could sleep in in.... three months? Four?   
Gold looked around the room. Energy drinks and forgotten trash littered the floor, lost among precarious piles of paperwork and reports. Slowly but surely, Gold and his Pokémon began to clean the mess, dusting off Crystal’s desk and spraying air freshener over effectively everything. When he was satisfied and the only sound was Crystal’s steady breathing, he left, locking her door behind him.  
She could thank him later. For now, Gold set an alarm for 8 am. He could stand getting up early for once if it meant chewing out the professor for overworking some poor girl for months on end. That was going to feel good.


	24. Ringing Part 2 (Pearl+Diamond)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another drabble set in the same timeline as ringing

”And then maybe we could—“ Diamond said, his voice trailing to static in Pearl’s head. He struggled to follow, watching Diamond’s lips move but unable to process fast enough to understand. Diamond continued to talk as Pearl blinked, trying to catch up and fill in the blanks. But he couldn’t.   
It was all too much. Too fast. Too difficult. And try as he might Pearl simply couldn’t keep up. But he was tired of smiling and nodding and not understanding: the frustration built up in his chest was just too much. Feeling tears well up in his eyes despite his inner protest, he tried to turn away.  
Diamond— that attentive jerk--- noticed immediately, following Pearl as he tried to hide his face. As Diamond held out a hand, Pearl couldn’t help but shake his head furiously. If Diamond tried to put his hand on Pearl’s shoulder or pull him into a hug... he wouldn’t be able to hold back anymore.   
Pearl watched as Diamond’s lips formed his name. He frowned, trying not to watch anymore. It wasn’t like he would understand anyway. Bitter and frustrated, he tried to walk away, but Diamond held onto his sleeve. When Pearl turned around, Diamond held up a post it with the words “are you ok?” on them.   
Pearl shook his head as the first tears slipped down his cheeks. No use lying.


	25. Suck it Ruby (Ruby+Sapphire)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a lot less fun on the receiving end... (reverse amnesia au)

Ruby noticed immediately when Sapphire woke up that something was very wrong. She watched him cautiously, springing to her feet as soon as she could move. She looked like a pokemon backed into a corner, ready to snap at anyone who came close.  
Ruby hesitantly took a step forward, getting low as he approached her. Sapphire suddenly leaned in, taking a whiff of his neck before clamping her hand over her mouth and scrunching her face in disgust. Ruby flinched at the sudden movement, concerned.  
“You smell gross, prissy boy.”  
Ruby furrowed his eyebrows.  
“We save the world and almost die and that’s the first thing you say to me?”  
“I didn’t save the world, and I certainly wouldn’t do it with you! I’m...”  
She froze.  
“I’m...” she suddenly turned to Ruby. “Who am I?” Sapphire asked, “and... and who are you?! Did you take me here, did you do this to me?!”  
“Sapphire!” Ruby helped as the girl began to thrash, “Calm down!!”  
Ruby’s head was spinning. He struggled to grab her shoulder as she sprang up, glancing around at the desolate ruins around them.  
“Sapphire!” Ruby shouted. “It’s me! Ruby!! What about mirage island? Groudon and Kyogre? What do you mean you don’t remember?!” She wasn’t listening.  
“I’m not playing your mind games, prissy boy!” she said, pulling away from him and glaring. Ruby’s hands dropped to his side as the hopelessness of the situation hit him like a truck.  
“You don’t remember... our confession?”  
Snarling, Sapphire ran away and didn’t look back. Ruby waited for an answer that never came, watching her bound away into the wilderness.


	26. Question (Sinnoh Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Platinum finally brings herself to ask it.

Platinum was used to Diamond and Pearl beside her, helping her, supporting her. But now, facing them, she knew this was something she had to do alone. That she had to do for them.  
Diamond had already realized something was off in the way she was acting, turning every so often to glance back at her as Pearl walked ahead. The closer they got, the more nervous Platinum became.  
They passed the fountain, the trail, the library stairs. And then they reached the spot, the spot where the three of them met for the first time, and Platinum stopped.  
“Diamond, Pearl?” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady. “There’s something I need to tell you.”  
The two boys turned to her, then looked at each other. She tried to hide her anxiety, but it was no use. The only thing that kept her going was that she could feel her pokemon silently cheering her on from within their pokeballs. She clenched her fists tight and steeled her nerves.  
“I....” She took a deep breath to compose herself as Diamond and Pearl turned to face her. “I cannot tell you how much you to mean to me. You’ve been with me every step of the way since the beginning of my journey, and I consider you my closest friends. I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”  
“Aww,” Pearl said, “we love you too.”  
Platinum took a shaky breath, unable to meet his eyes.  
“Wait, let me finish. We’ve been dating for a while now, and.... and I know that I will always cherish the time we spent together. However...”  
She felt Diamond stiffen beside her, covering his mouth as Pearl’s smile dropped from his face.  
“I think... I think that needs to change. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but I’ve finally made a decision.”  
“Platinum...” Diamond began, reaching out to her. She flinched away from his touch, slowly removing her two rings.  
“Please, don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”  
Platinum held the rings in her hand, trying to stop her heart from racing. Swallowing her pride, she set her shoulders back, held up the rings, and got down on one knee. And as she looked up at the two boys she knew she couldn’t live without, she said  
“Diamond, Pearl.... will you marry me?”


	27. Mermaids? (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermay is over but my love for gay fish sure isn't (Preciousmetal mermaid AU)

Silver let the motor stall as he looked around. He was alone on the open ocean, the beach far off in the distance. The other boats-- lit up and filled with people-- hugged the shoreline, enjoying a beer and waiting excitedly for the fireworks to begin. Silver joined them, and though he was alone on a dinky old motorboat he found abandoned in a shipyard last summer, he still enjoyed the feeling of watching the colors from the water.  
He checked again that the anchor had caught, then rolled up his jeans and sat with a cold(ish) beer in his hand and his feet in the water. The moon’s rays hit the water, making the shimmering surface distort every reflection with the rolling of the waves. Silver watched as shafts of light cut through the water, illuminating a few feet of the greenish-blue ocean. Silver’s pale feet looked almost yellow underwater, their image soft and blurry. He stared at them as he waited for the fireworks to begin, not taking his eyes off the water. There was always something to see. Every moment, the ocean was different. The waves would never quite peak in the same way, the foam wouldn’t dissipate like this ever again. Tonight, Silver was watching an ocean that only he could witness, that no one would ever see again. He almost didn’t notice the shape that rose up from beneath him until it was too late.  
From the murky depths came a shadow, growing ever larger as it swam to the surface. Silver started, his attention suddenly focused on the shape turning from a black shadow to a golden silhouette as its features became more clear. What once was a formless blob had grown a face, lips, hair, shoulders… eyes. Slowly, the figure got closer. The creature’s face was still blurred by the ocean between them, but Silver couldn’t help but lean in and try to catch a glimpse of this underwater stranger. Its features came into focus one by one. It had a soft face, with wild black hair and a wide nose and a huge grin that gave it adorable dimples. Its eyes, golden like the sun, captivated him. Silver was caught hook line and sinker by the handsome face before him.   
And as the creature broke the surface with a curious expression and an inhuman grin, Silver reached out a hand. Golden scales dotted his dark skin like freckles, the same dazzling color as his eyes. Water rolled in rivulets down his face as they locked eyes. The stranger had finally breached the surface: first his head, then his shoulders, then his arms and chest, until Silver was face to face with a man who had just risen from the depths of the ocean looking significantly less dead than was possible. Something clawed at Silver’s stomach; whether it was lust or terror he wasn’t sure yet. The creature smiled at him, all jagged teeth. A voice in Silver’s mind was screaming in primal fear that he should run, that he should grind this beast up in the boat’s motor so that he might escape with his life. But another voice deep within him spoke just a little louder, and it said “handsome.” So Silver stayed and smiled back. Something like a voice rose from the creature’s mouth, ethereal and beautiful and eerily inhuman.   
“Do you like to watch the fireworks too?” it asked. Silver’s voice had dried up in his mouth. He nodded, and the beast smiled as he swam closer.   
“Me too.”


	28. Acts of Acrophobia (White+Y)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, jumping off buildings and sailing freestyle through the cityscape is not a good date idea asshole.

"Just a little higher, come on!" Y shouted down. White looked at her from down the latter, just high enough to be sick if she looked down but not near high enough to see the ledge they were supposed to be climbing towards.  
"Why couldn't I have just taken Barbara? You're the action girl, I'm just a business manager!"  
Y sighed and leapt up the ladder like an Aipom. Watching her hold on with one hand and swing out to stare down at White made White extremely nervous, even though she knew that with a title like 'The Flyer' that Y was probably more comfortable this high in the air than on the ground.  
"I told you already, the winds up here are too high and combined with the low visibility it's probably a bad idea to have flying types."  
White knew she was right, but it didn't change the fact she really did not want to be doing this right now. So she kept her grumbles to herself and dragged herself father up the tower, one ladder rung after another. Every once in a while Y would turn around and cheer her on, even as the distance between them rapidly increased. She silently thought of all the action movies and cool commercials that Y and her Pokemon would be perfect for, and that gave her the motivation to keep climbing. Also, she wasn't about to let Y climb out of sight and leave White along, clinging to a rickety little ladder in the fog.  
After what felt like hours, White pulled herself with aching arms over the ledge, sitting on the metal while Y leaned over the edge, kicking her legs and staring down at the clouds below.  
"How many stories up are we?" White asked, moving as far away from the ledge as possible. Y thought about it, humming to herself.  
"Fifteen... ish? We are on top of the water tower if that helps."  
White felt dizzy. Only a metal grate kept them from plummeting into the open sky. There were clouds *below* them, not above. If she fell, she would die. The thought did not make her feel very secure. Even still, Y sat on the edge without a care in the world.  
"C’mere you scaredy meowth! I can always catch you if you fall so it's no big deal."  
Not even Y could save White from the primal fear inside her, so she leaned against the cold metal of the water tower and shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest.  
"What are we waiting for anyway?" White asked as she tried to check her emails. There was understandably no cell coverage this high up, so White simply waved her phone around fruitlessly. Y shook her head and checked her watch with a dismissive ‘you’ll see’. White sighed and stared at her back as she sat at the edge of the grate, staring off into the twilight. The last rays of the sun glowed orange, giving her a fiery halo and reflecting off seemingly every strand of her honey-blond hair. She was… beautiful.  
Without warning, a megaphone-amplified voice rang through the air.  
“Due to cloud cover,” it said, “the Lumiose City Fireworks Display has been cancelled this week. We are sorry for any inconvenience.”  
Y suddenly leapt to her feet, shaking her fist at the imaginary man and letting out a string of curses White didn’t expect.  
“CLOUD COVER?! That’s Tauros-crap and you KNOW it Sycamore! Fuck you!!” she snarled, seemingly prepared to fight whoever ruined her night. White only stared as she let loose her anger, eventually throwing her hands up in defeat and turning back to White. There was a change-- a new softness-- in her expression as she saw White looking at her nervously.  
“Well, that goes that plan,” she said, seemingly exasperated. “Guess we’ll have to go back down.” White quickly and immediately shook her head.  
“There is *no way* you are getting me down that ladder the way I came up. No way.”  
Y stared at her quizzically for a moment before lighting up and stripping down. White covered her face with her hands, letting out a squeal as Y let her skirt drop and pulled something out of her backpack.  
“Relax, my underwear are still on,” she chided. White sputtered in embarrassment. When she opened her eyes again, Y had changed into a full flight suit and stared at White with a huge grin.  
“Oh,” White said. “Oh no.” Y’s grin only grew wider.  
“Oh *yes*.”  
And that’s how White ended up plummeting 15 stories off a water tower wrapped tightly in Y’s arms. It was thrilling, fun, and gave her hundreds of new ideas for movies. Plus, she only screamed 90% of the ride.


	29. ... Ya like jazz? (Diamond+Pearl)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl has some opinions about honeybees. Diamond has some opinions about his boyfriend. They are both sappy fools.

”I love bees.”  
“Mmph?” Diamond murmured in the midst of a spoonful of ice cream. He swallowed and licked his lips clean. “Why’s that?”  
“They’re fast, they’ve got stripes, and they help make flowers bloom. They’re fuzzy and important.”  
“Like you?” Diamond questioned.   
Pearl flushed. “T- that’s not...”  
“Mmm, but I’m right aren’t I?” Diamond said. Pearl tried to protest, but Diamond just shoved a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth before he could say anything.  
Pearl pouted, then pulled the spoon out of his mouth with a pop.   
“If I’m a honeybee, then you’re a flower, because you’re colorful and you smell really nice and everybody loves you because you make them happy.”  
“I can live with that,” Diamond mused.   
Pearl opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head and leaned back on the bench.   
“Want any more ice cream?” Diamond asked. The cup they had been sharing was nearly finished, with Diamond poking at the half melted remains with the spoon. Pearl shook his head, so Diamond shoved the rest in his mouth and leaned over Pearl’s lap to drop the cup and spoon in the recycling bin. Pearl hated how the closer Diamond got, the more radiant and lovely he looked. Pearl stiffened as Diamond steadied himself, putting a hand on Pearl’s lap.   
When Diamond sat back, he had a goofy grin on his face that meant he knew exactly what Pearl was thinking.  
“Can I call you honey now, since you’re just like a bee?” Diamond asked, putting his head on Pearl’s shoulder. Pearl didn’t say anything, watching a honeybee lazily circle a large flower in front of them before landing and nestling itself in the petals. Pearl sighed, closed his eyes, and smiled.   
“I’ll take that as a yes.”


	30. Apple Cider (Emerald+Ruby)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby shows up on Emerald's doorstep, much to the latter's confusion.  
> \--Very much based on a good friend's old story which she has asked to keep buried--

Emerald thought it was stupid. It just didn’t make sense— why was Ruby showing up at HIS door when he was the one who barely had a house in the first place? He lived in the loft of an abandoned barn for Arceus’ sake, Ruby was the one with a fancy Lilycove apartment. Plus— though Emerald wouldn’t admit it— his house smelled like dirt. Lots of dirt. That was not a good smell, especially not to someone like Ruby.  
And yet, here he was, a crimson-eyed wreck standing drenched at his doorstep. He looked sorry, even as Emerald scowled at him and told him off for showing up at— when time even was it, midnight? How the hell did Ruby even find him? This was bullshit.  
Even still, his door was opened and Ruby was ushered inside with an insult. Ruby seemed to like it anyway, because of course he did, and soon enough Emerald had made him a nest of pillows and handed him a mug of hot cider (which, admittedly, was HIS mug of cider, since he only had one mug. He tried to ignore the implications of Ruby finishing his drink for him and drinking out of the same mug and no, no Emerald, indirect kisses aren’t real and only little kids care about it.)  
He didn’t do a good job, and almost prayed for the moment when Ruby would finally leave. They talked about how bad he was feeling and Emerald ended up just sitting there for most of the night, silently hoping Ruby would give him his mug back. Instead, Ruby just talked, face lighting up as his fingers curled and uncurled around the hot ceramic. Eventually though, the cider grew cold and Ruby left, leaving Rald with a half full mug of cold apple juice and a surprisingly empty house.  
He took a sip. It tasted like Ruby’s lip gloss. Hearing the crickets outside, he thought and thought and thought some more. Then he bought a second mug. Just in case, you know, he came back.


	31. Pearl Lost a Bet, Nyah~ (Sinnoh Trio + Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl lost a bet to Diamond, who abuses the opportunity to its fullest potential

”Nya~ot on my watch! I shall defeat you in the name of justice, meow~!!” spoke a high pitched and unfamiliar voice. The squeakiness was strained but endearing, like someone trying their best to sound 15 years younger than they actually were and not particularly succeeding. Platinum stared ahead at the rosy crusader standing in the middle of her living room. Their too-short skirt was blown up by an electric fan, which ruffled their hair and made their (fake) tail wave back and forth.   
“Pearl, what are you doing?” Platinum asked. He stared back at her in pain, striking a little pose with his hands curled up like paws as he meowed at her.   
“I lost a bet and life is a fucking nightmare~!” he chirped. His skirt bounced as he kicked his leg up, causing the bells on his cat ear headband to jingle cheerfully.  
“Mew Mew Kissy Cutie doesn’t curse,” Diamond said as he walked in. He had a camera in one hand and a phone in the other, smiling innocently at his friend. Pearl went to protest.   
“How much lon—“  
“Ah ah!” Diamond interrupted. “It hasn’t been 20 minutes yet!”  
“Who is Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?” Platinum asked. She had no idea why Diamond wanted Pearl to dress like her or why in the world this ‘Mew Mew’ thought it was acceptable to walk around dressed like a strawberry shortcake in a ribbon factory. Diamond looked to Pearl expectantly. Looking ready to blow a blood vessel, Pearl sighed and said,  
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Nya-omi in the land of kitty cats, meow~. But when evil threatened her kingdom, she harnessed the powers of love and friendship to become—“  
Pearl paused, mentally preparing himself. The veins of his neck bulged in anger and determination as his voice rose another octave. “Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, nyaaa~!!”  
Platinum was concerned. “Does that hurt your voic— are you wearing mascara?”  
“I’m in hell Platinum!” he chirped. Platinum and Pearl stared at each other, Pearl sweating and panting as he remained in his silly pose with a catlike smile on his face. If Platinum didn’t know any better, she might have thought he was going to cry.   
Diamond finally let out a chuckle and waved his hand.   
“Alright I’ve tortured you enough, go change,” he said with a laugh. The change was instantaneous. Pearl dropped to a normal standing position, tearing the cat-ear headband off and stomping away with a snarl.   
“I hate you,” he growled, his voice hoarse and crackly.   
“Don’t make bets you can win~,” Diamond teased as Pearl slammed the door behind him.  
\---  
Pearl marched down the hallway, his footsteps thunderous as he made a beeline to the nearest sink or anywhere he could get this scratchy dress and face of makeup off his innocent skin.   
“Chatler!” he called. The Chatot quickly flew towards him, laughing as he circled Pearl’s head.   
“Remind me never to make bets with Diamond,” Pearl spat, shaking the headband back and forth.   
“DONT MAKE BETS!! DONT MAKE BETS!!” Chatler screeched.   
Silver watched in wide-eyed confusion as Pearl stomped past him on his way to the bathroom.   
“Don’t ask,” he snarled. Silver didn’t, only shaking his head and making his way to the living room, where Diamond and Platinum were laughing at some photos on Diamond’s phone.   
“Was Pearl wearing a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie costume?” he asked. Diamond looked up, his face still red from laughing so hard.   
“Yeah,” he giggled. Silver stared back at him with a straight face.   
“Can I borrow it?”


	32. High Tide (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing says emotional vulnerability like getting stuck in a cave for three hours

”You. Are. A. MORON!” Silver growled.   
“Hey, *hey*!” Gold protested, “You went along with it! How was I supposed to know that the entrance was blocked off at high tide?!”  
“I don’t know, but you were the one who insisted we didn’t bring any water types. And you *know* I can’t swim.”  
“That’s a You problem. I, for one, am leaving.”  
Silver’s eyes went wide as moons as Gold waded into the water. He judged the depth, trying to figure out the best way to get to the next pocket of air. But as he was about to dive, he felt a tug on his sleeve. A quiet ‘don’t’ resonated through the cave. Gold sat back, watching Silver as he pulled his knees up to his chest.   
“It’s only a few hours,” Gold offered.   
Silver didn’t respond. Blue had mentioned offhand that Silver hated being alone in dark places. Though drops of sunlight filtered into the cave, this fit the criteria well enough. Gold edged his hand closer to Silver, snaking his fingers over Silver’s lap until their hands were intertwined. Silver tried to pretend he wasn’t moving closer to Gold as the silence dragged on. Eventually, Gold wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. Silver tensed, so Gold said nothing and held him tight until the two of them fell asleep.  
They woke up a bevy of missed calls and a very angry Crystal.


	33. Beach Day (Hoenn Trio)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoenn Trio goes to the beach, and Sapphire is horrified to find that Ruby is having absolutely none of her shenanigans

As Ruby rubbed the last of the sunscreen into Sapphire’s shoulders, she finally brought up the question that had been bugging her for so long.   
“Why aren’t ya wearing a bathing suit?” she asked him. Ruby hummed and smiled.   
“Because I’m not swimming,”  
“WHAT?!”  
“I don’t like the ocean, I just want to take pictures and tan,” he said.  
“Why don’t you like the ocean? Don’t you wanna come swimming with Rald and I?”  
Ruby laughed. “And get all sandy? No thanks. Plus the ocean water is all salty and dirty, it’s bad for my hair.”  
“It’s not dirty, it’s the ocean!!” Sapphire protested.   
“Sapphire, people *pee* in the ocean.”  
“Yeah, and?” Emerald interjected. He was digging through their massive towel bag looking for snacks, dressed in the most atrocious outfit Ruby had ever seen.  
“I am *not* going to accept arguments from somehow who thinks Alola shirts and neon blue swim trunks match with old man sandals!” Ruby snapped. Emerald rolled his eyes and continued digging through the bag as Sapphire latched onto Ruby’s arm.  
“Come onnnnn Ruby, I really wanted t’go swimming with you!”  
“I can’t even if I wanted to— which I *do not*, by the way— so there.”   
Sapphire gasped. “Emerald and I can teach ya!! It’ll be so fun!”  
“*Absolutely NOT*.”  
Emerald strolled up to them and leaned against Ruby’s umbrella. “Stop being a baby and just drag your chair to the shoreline. We came to the beach to hang out with you, not for you to sit there and watch us have fun.”  
Ruby was admittedly flattered, so he adjusted the brim of his sunhat with a smile.   
“I’ll consider it.”  
Sapphire shrugged. “Close enough.” She turned to Emerald with a grin. “Last one in the water is a rotten Exeggcute!”  
Emerald gasped as sprinted after her as Sapphire made a mad dash for the water.   
“THIS IS SO NOT FAIR MY LEGS ARE SHORT!” Emerald called after her. Ruby sighed and left Zuzu under the umbrella, dragging his chair behind him as he slowly walked towards the ocean. Emerald and Sapphire were already in the water, splashing each other and charging into waves. As Ruby set his chair down where the tide came in, he smiled. Now *this* was the way to have fun.


	34. Anything but Hentai (Gold+Silver)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver finds a new channel where all the girls are making silly faces.

”I’m gonna go make sandwiches,” Gold announced; pushing himself off the couch and dropping the remote in Silver’s lap. “Pick whatever you want as long as it’s not Proteam Omega, I’m sick of that show.”  
Silver watched him mutely, flipping through the anime sections of PokeTV on demand. Mecha, Magical Girl, Shoujo, Shonen... oh?  
The next genre was something Silver wasn’t familiar with. Frowning, he selected it, breezing through the weird pop ups that barraged him every time he tried to scroll to different titles. The artwork was very good, but it was so... weirdly proportioned. And shiny, very shiny. Silver made a mental note to ask Gold why. He seemed to know everything, so surely he would know this.   
Mindlessly flipping through the pages, he settled on something with a pretty girl and a big robot on the cover. Nothing with big robots could be bad as far as Silver was concerned.   
As soon as he opened the player, the television screamed. The pretty girl on the cover had been thrown to the ground, the large robot looming over her.  
“Whatcha watching, Silv?” Gold asked. “You better wait for me, I’m making you lunch!”  
Silver didn’t respond, transfixed on the screen. His expression shifted: surprise, intrigue, confusion, horror. He was both mortified and amazed. Robots could do that? Humans could bend like that? Girls could make those kinds of noises? Silver was, though he would never admit it, a little scared. He did not like this kind of anime.   
He felt so out of his element, he almost didn’t hear Gold call his name again.   
“Dude!!” he shouted as another low howl rumbled from the speakers. “What the hell are you watching?”  
Silver paused, then looked in the kitchen.   
“It’s called hentai!”  
Gold’s resounding ‘NO’ and the speed with which he abandoned their sandwiches to rush into the living room startled Silver into dropping the remote. Gold turned off the TV with a panicked expression on his face.   
“Do.... not.... watch that,” he painted, looking at Silver in desperation.   
“Oh,” was all Silver had to say.


End file.
